Faith and the Phoenix
by Elisa Day
Summary: BTVS HP Crossover. Having been released from prison by the council, Faith is sent to London to counter 'increased vampire activity', unaware that the members of the Order of the Phoenix are watching her... First fic, please R&R!
1. Default Chapter

Chapter One  
  
The grey London mists swirled in off the Thames as the first light of dawn began to creep over the horizon. A small, pink-haired witch darted in and out of the shadows trying not to be seen as she watched the dark girl at the end of the street. For three days and nights, members of the Order of the Phoenix had been following this girl, whose arrival had filled London with a presence and an aura the likes of which had never been felt by any in the wizarding world. She was no muggle, they were certain of that, yet neither was she a witch though she seemed to possess a mighty internal power. Albus Dumbledore, the head of the Order, had therefore assigned the members to keep watch over her, for fear that she may turn out to be Lord Voldemort's latest weapon in his desire to return to power. Tonight was Nymphadora Tonks' turn to watch. So far she thought she'd done well not to be seen, clumsy as she was. She stepped out of the alleyway she'd been hiding in and began to follow the girl up the street, silently congratulating herself on her stealth. Her congratulations proved to be premature as she tripped over a bin and sent the lid rolling down the street and crashing to a stop at the dark girl's feet. Cursing under her breath, Tonks darted back into the shadows as the girl began to walk back down the street towards her. At that moment, a large ginger cat ran out from behind the piles of garbage and darted across the road. The girl stopped.  
  
"Damn cat." she muttered to herself, still looking around her warily.   
  
Tonks had the uneasy feeling that the girl could sense she was there. She held her breath and waited in the hope that she would move on. The girl was standing on one hip, about five feet away from where Tonks was crouched. She was dressed entirely in black, with long dark hair flowing in waves over her shoulders. Tonks suddenly noticed that she was breathtakingly beautiful and wondered if she might be part Veela, though there was something strangely familiar about her that Tonks couldn't quite put her finger on. She was carrying a small wooden pointed object that looked to Tonks like some sort of defective wand.   
  
ÔPoor girl won't do much damage with that thing,' thought Tonks, cowering further back into the shadows as the girl took a step closer.   
  
She shut her eyes as she was sure she was about to be discovered, and had sworn not to use magic against the girl in case she was just a muggle. But just as she thought her game was up, Tonks heard shouts and the sounds of a struggle. Opening her eyes, she saw the dark-haired girl sprinting off in the direction of the noise. At the end of the street Tonks saw two drunken but terrified young men being attacked by what could only be described as vampires. Three of them. Tonks drew out her wand and headed towards them, ready to try to ward off the demons with magic if necessary. But as she drew closer she realised she was not needed. The dark girl, it seemed, was an excellent fighter. Having already reduced one of the vampires to dust, she had another in a headlock while the two young men were frozen to the spot, watching her in fear. The third vampire was coming up behind her, Tonks was about to cry out in warning, but the girl was apparently already aware of it, swinging her free arm behind her and plunging her Ôdefective wand' straight into the vampire's heart. It disintegrated into a second little pile of dust next to the first. The girl looked up at the two men, the vampire still immobile in her grip.  
  
"Run." she said in a low growl.   
  
They didn't need telling twice. As they disappeared around the corner Tonks saw the first rays of sunlight appear over the rooftops. The girl dragged the vampire into the shadows and pinned him up against the wall.  
  
"Now it's just you and me sugar," she said menacingly, and for the first time Tonks heard the girl's husky American accent. "You tell me what I wanna know and maybe I won't introduce you to mr. sunshine over there, got it?"   
  
The vampire writhed in her grip trying desperately to get away, but the girl was far too strong for him, Tonks was amazed. Eventually the vampire conceded.  
  
"Ok, ok, I'll tell you anything." he shrieked.  
  
"Who ya workin for?  
  
"N..n..no one. No one, just me and my friends, out for food. I swear."   
  
The girl looked at him sceptically before punching him twice in the face and then dragging him over to a patch of sunlight.  
  
"You sure bout that?" she growled softly, moving him closer and closer to the rays.   
  
He began to squeal and whimper as he felt the warm light on his fingers, searing into his dead flesh.  
  
"Ok, ok, please stop! I'll tell you, I'll tell you." he snivelled.   
  
Tonks thought him rather pathetic for a demon.   
  
"We've been called, called forth by the Dark Lord. He has risen again and is summoning all his former allies to his side in preparation for the coming war.  
  
"Oh great, another god damn apocalypse?" sighed the girl. "The Dark Lord huh? That this Voldemort guy I've been told about?"   
  
Both Tonks and the vampire winced at the casual use of Voldemort's name.   
  
"What's up? You work for this guy and you're scared of his damn name?  
  
The vampire looked down ashamedly and nodded.  
  
"Ok, you're gettin boring." said the girl impatiently. "Time to say bye-bye."   
  
The vampire looked up in horror as he was dragged into the full light of the sun, which had now climbed above the buildings and was flooding the street below.  
  
"You lying bitch, you promised!" he screamed as his flesh began to sizzle and burn.  
  
"I said maybe." the girl almost giggled, resting her foot on his chest so he couldn't escape. "Don't think we were introduced, I'm the slayer. It was nice knowin' ya."   
  
She laughed as the vampire finally vanished into a third pile of dust on the floor. Then she headed up the street in the direction of the sun leaving Tonks standing in astonishment at what she had just witnessed. 


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing, forgot to put this on the first chapter. Such an amateur.  
  
Ok, here goes, thanks for the reviews everyone, glad you're into it. I'm not sure quite where it's going and I'm more nervous about this second chapter than I was about the first.   
  
To be honest I don't know what season this is, I'm more just into Faith than the Buffy series in general, I just think she's such an awesome character. So apologies if I don't write her very well, I probably don't know enough about her.  
  
-----------------------  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Faith decided she liked London as she tucked into a full English breakfast in a greasy back street cafe.   
  
Man these people know how to eat.' she thought with satisfaction, looking out at the early morning sun sparkling in the windows outside.   
  
It had been three days since she'd arrived, and though the Council had given her nothing in the way of financial help, she felt happier and freer than she had in years. Ok, she hadn't really slept much, an afternoon's dozing in Hyde Park wasn't really enough, but she was surviving so far. Compared with prison, London's parks were like a Hilton hotel. She wished they'd given her a little more information to go on. All they'd told her was that there was an unusual amount of vampire activity in London and the name Voldemort had been heard on more than one occasion. But she couldn't complain, this was the reason the council had secured her release from prison, she respected that. She had a sneaking suspicion that this Voldemort was the new Big Bad and he wanted to take over the world.   
  
Don't they all' she thought with a sigh.   
  
Here was a proper chance for redemption, with some serious ass-kicking attached to it, there was no way she was gonna mess this up. The thing that was really bothering her though was the people following her. They didn't seem like ordinary people, she wondered if it was the Council not trusting her or whether the big bad V was having her watched. Whoever they were, they obviously underestimated her, she'd seen them all. The first night it had been some big guy, almost wolf like, lurking in the shadows, a footstep behind her every move. The second night it had been someone a little more sinister, tall and greasy. During the day it had been the old woman in the park who looked homeless but seemed to appear every time she moved. That was kind of the reason she hadn't had much sleep. And last night, last night she'd been so close to finding out who was stalking her. She could have sworn she'd been in breathing distance of whoever was there in that alleyway, the woman who'd tripped over that garbage can, but vamps had turned up at the wrong moment. She was determined she'd get them tonight though. She wasn't a slayer for nothing   
  
She stared at the bottom of her coffee cup after draining it of its contents and mused over what to do with the day ahead of her. It was a still a little cold to try and get some sleep in the park, that would have to wait until the afternoon. She checked her watch, it was 8.30am. She sighed and ordered another coffee. Freedom was great, but she a tiny part of her couldn't help wishing she had someone to share it with. Pushing that thought down, she considered a walk around the National Gallery, which didn't charge admission, when the door of the cafe opened and a pink-haired woman stepped inside. Faith knew immediately that it was she who'd been following her the previous night. Unsure what to do at first, Faith sat back and stared at the woman who was doing everything she could to avoid eye-contact. Enjoying making the woman feel uncomfortable, Faith continued to stare long after she'd finished her drink. Eventually she got up and went over to the woman's table. She pulled up a chair and sat opposite her.  
  
"So, you gonna tell me who the hell you are and why you and your friends have been followin me across this city for the past three nights?" she demanded.  
  
The pink-haired woman opened her mouth as if to speak and as she did so, she looked into Faith's eyes for the first time. Whatever she'd been going to say died at the back of her throat and a look of recognition and amazement spread across her face as her jaw dropped. Faith was a little taken aback at this reaction.   
  
"Uh, lady... flies?" she suggested, not knowing what else to say.   
  
The woman quickly closed her mouth and regained her composure.  
  
"What's your name?" she asked tentatively.  
  
"Wait a minute." said Faith with a laugh. "You're the one who's been doin' the stalking. Surely you know my name by now. If not I think I deserve to know yours first anyway, don't you?  
  
"My name's, erm, I'm Tonks." said the woman hesitantly hold out her hand.  
  
Faith didn't take it, opting to give Tonks the most threatening look she could muster. Then she leaned in close and whispered in Tonks' ear,  
  
"Well listen up, Tonks. I don't like being followed and I don't like people messing in my business ok? So if I find you or any of your friends anywhere near me again, you will seriously regret it. If you've been paying attention during your late night spying sessions, you'll have noticed that I can kick ass big style. Take that as a warning.  
  
Faith leant back in her seat with satisfaction, expecting to see Tonks looking terrified. To her surprise, the woman was rummaging around in her bag, head down. A little unnerved that her intimidation tactics hadn't worked, Faith started to get up and leave. As she did so, Tonks produced what looked like a Polaroid camera and before Faith could react, Tonks had taken a photograph of her.  
  
"Hey, what the..?" Faith started, and tried to reach for the camera, but for once her reactions let her down, and she could only watch as Tonks ran out of the cafe and disappeared down the road.  
  
------------------------  
  
There we are, hope it wasn't too much of a let down! 


	3. Chapter Three

**Hi all, sorry it's taken me a million years to update. I was suddenly gripped with self-doubt and thought that this story was rubbish, especially after reading another fic which contained a few similar events. But it's worth seeing what people think I suppose. Enjoy, I hope.**

**Also changed my pen name after rediscovering Nick Cave. What a god.**

* * *

Chapter 3 

It was around ten thirty that morning when Tonks arrived back at the headquarters of the Order. Stepping through the door at number 12 Grimmauld Place, she was harshly pushed into a large plant pot by a seemingly enraged Severus Snape, who swept out into the street and slammed the door behind him.

"AND STAY OUT!" she heard a familiar voice shout.

She looked up just in time to see an equally angry Sirius Black storm up the stairs and lock himself in one of the spare rooms at the end of the hall. Struggling to extract herself from the foliage, which had wrapped four or five of its stems gently but firmly around her and was stroking her face with its leaves, she saw Ron, Harry and Hermione peering cautiously over the banister at her.

"Has Snape gone?" Asked Ron.

"Yes." Answered Tonks. "He left in style."

"Wow that was a fight and half they just had." Said Harry, pushing his untidy hair out of his face as he and his friends came down the stairs. "Any idea what it was about, Tonks?"

"No, I've just come in. Erm, do you think you could help me out of this?"

The two boys looked at her hesitantly, clearly without what to do. Hermione stepped forward impatiently and drew out her wand.

"Let me do it, Harry." She sighed and flicked her wrist. "_Diffindo!_"

The stems were severed and Tonks managed to quickly pull herself out of the pot.

"Thanks Hermione." She grinned, brushing the soil off her clothes. "Let's go down to the kitchen, I'm starving."

-----------------------

'So how did the stalking go, Tonks?" asked Ron between mouthfuls of food. "Find anything out about the mystery girl?"

"Ronald Weasley!" came the voice of his mother. "How do _you_ know about that?"

Mrs. Weasley looked suspiciously at Fred and George.Tonks had the feeling that their latest stash of extendable ears would soon be going in the bin.

"It's ok Molly." Said Lupin. "There's no harm in them knowing about this, although I'm sure they don't know all the details, technology being what it is"

Fred and George shifted uncomfortably.

"Go on then Tonks." Sighed Mrs. Weasley, defeated, "Fill them in."

"Well..." said Tonks, pausing dramatically as everyone leaned in. "She caught me. I was busted. I was in an alleyway and I tripped over a bin. I thought I'd gotten away with it see, she came right up to where I was hiding and then she got distracted by vampires..."

"Vampires?" Exclaimed Ron and Harry at the same time.

"Yes, turns out she's the Slayer."

"The Slayer, wow, I thought that was just a myth." mused Hermione.

"So did all of us, until now." Said Lupin.

"But it's not. I saw her." Said Tonks. "She's not much taller than you Hermione, but she killed three vampires without breaking a sweat, and she was stronger than all of them combined. She used a pointy wooden thing."

"A stake." Hermione added.

"Hold on, hold on." Interrupted Ron. "What have vampires got to do with steak? Is that what they eat when they can't get blood? What's a slayer?"

"Ron, don't you remember any of our lessons?" asked Hermione. "We learned about vampires in 3rd year, I believe it was Professor Lupin himself who taught us."

Lupin smiled as Hermione continued

"One of the ways to kill a Vampire with a wooden stake through its heart. It turns them into dust. And the story is that in every generation there's a Slayer to fight the vampires. It's always a girl and they have superhuman strength, but they don't use magic, they come from the muggle world. But I always thought that was just a story spread about by the Ministry to keep vampires under control."

"I don't know whether the Ministry knew the story was true or whether they just used the rumours to their own advantage, but the Slayer definately doesn't have anything to do with them." said Lupin. "We don't know who she works for or whether she's acting independently."

"So what is this Slayer doing here?" Asked Ron. "And how did she catch you, Tonks?"

"We're not sure what her plan is, that's why we've been following her, just in case she's working for You-Know-Who, or in case he tries to get her on his side. But she's got some skill. I followed her into a cafe this morning and she came over to my table and threatened me. She said she knew we'd been watching her and that she'd 'kick my ass big style' or something if we didn't leave her alone."

Hermione snorted with laughter. "She actually said that?"

"Well, yes." said Tonks indignantly. "And I have to say, I was quite scared. The way she killed those vampires, I wouldn't have stood a chance. But I did manage to take a photograph of her because up close I noticed something remarkable about her. I need to show it to Sirius, do you think he'll be down anytime soon?"

"No, he's sulking now." Said Mrs Weasley disapprovingly. "Sometimes I wish that he and Severus would just grow up."

"Ginny, would you go and find him and tell him there's something we want him to see." asked Tonks, turning to the red-haired girl.

As Ginny headed up the stairs, Tonks produced the photograph that she had taken earlier. Everyone in the room gathered around it and stared at the angry girl in the picturewho was shaking her fist in Tonks' direction. It didn't take long before everyone realised what Tonks had noticed about her.

"My goodness." Exclaimed Lupin. "That's... Sirius... it's got to be..."

"What have you got there, Remus?" Came Sirius' moody voice from the doorway.

They turned to see the dark haired man leaning against the doorframe, an expression of mild interest on his face.

"Erm... Sirius... my old friend." Started Lupin.Tonks had never heard him sound so nervous. "Come in, take a seat, have a coffee."

Sirius looked at him as though he had lost his mind.

"Everything alright, Remus?" He asked with half a grin as he sat down and poured himself a drink.

Lupin took the picture from Tonks' hand and pulled up a chair opposite Sirius.

"I don't really know how to do this Sirius, or what to say."

"Do what? What's wrong with you?" Sirius began to get impatient. "What's the photo for?"

"I think it's best if you just see." sighed Lupin, and passed the picture across the table.

Sirius took it and looked at the girl. As Tonks watched, she saw to her amazement that his eyes were filling with tears and he had begun to visibly shake. He looked up at Lupin, shaking his head.

"It..it can't be, can it?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"She looks so much like you, Sirius." Lupin gently replied. "If she's not a Black then I'm throwing a full moon party."

Tears were now falling fast down Sirius' face and he suddenly seemed to be aware that he was in a room full of people who were all watching him in confusion. He picked up the photograph and marched out of the room, clearly wanting to be alone. Lupin started as if to follow him but Mrs Weasley gently laid her hand on his shoulder.

"Give him some time alone, Remus."

"So, I take it I was right." Said Tonks. "Sirius knows this girl?"

"I think so." Said Lupin. "I think she's his daughter."

"Daughter?" exclaimed Harry. "Sirius never said anything about having a daughter."

"He hasn't seen her since she was three years old." said Lupin gently. "It's a long story."

"So tell it." Harry almost shouted. He seemed to have taken the news as a personal insult and was addressing his former professor in an extremely rude manner.

"Calm down Harry." Said Mrs Weasley quite sternly. "This isn't the time."

"I don't know all the details." Said Lupin. "But I'll tell you as much as I can. When Sirius left school he met an American muggle girl in London and they had what was supposed to be a brief fling. She was only in London for two months, studying dance. I only met her once, she was very beautiful but I always felt like there was something not quite right about her. Anyway, they were just kids, and, well kids being rash and not thinking, she got pregnant. They got married in a hurry and she made him move back to America with her, to Boston I think. We didn't hear from him much for a while after that. He sent the occasional owl, told us they'd had a baby girl, named her Faith. I don't think he ever liked America but the way he wrote about that little girl, she was the light of his life.

Anyway, all that time, Voldemort was growing stronger and stronger. He had supporters all over the world. Voldemort knew how clever a wizard Sirius was; he needed him back in England to try to get to James and Lily. The old saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. He arranged to have Sirius deported from America by the muggles who were probably under the Imperious Curse. One day they just came for him and put him on a plane back to England. His little girl was at nursery school at the time, he didn't even get to say goodbye to her.

He was a broken man when he came back here. He stayed with me for a while, wrote owls and muggle letters every day to his wife and child back in America but he never got any reply. Whether they received them or not we never found out. Maybe Voldemort was intercepting them or maybe his wife just refused to reply. Sirius told me that she'd started drinking heavily not long after the baby was born. She'd had to give up dance and she resented him, blamed him and the child for ruining her life. He wrote to them every day for two years; right up until the day he was sent to Azkaban. And I believe he's been writing every day since he escaped. That's all I know."

A heavy silence filled the room as Lupin finished speaking and the news sunk in. Hermione was the first to speak.

"I suppose...when he was in Azkaban, that must have been another thing that kept him going mustn't it? The thought of maybe seeing her again?"

Lupin nodded.

"Is this girl definitely her though?" Asked Harry. "If he hasn't seen her in that long, how does he know?"

"Come on Harry." Said Ron. "We all saw the picture, she looks just like him. And besides, I'm sure he can recognise his own daughter."

Tonks looked at Harry, who was, in her opinion, behaving like a spoilt brat. Then again, she thought, the boy had started to look upon Sirius as a father figure and was probably feeling threatened at the prospect of what he would look upon as a rival. 'Kids are so mixed up' she sighed to herself.

"So what now?" asked Mrs Weasley.

"We do as Dumbledore ordered." Said Lupin matter-of-factly. "We continue to watch her, and if she discovers us, we try to bring her in. She's been sleeping rough since we've been following her, she could probably do with a hot meal and a comfy bed."

Tonks was apprehensive at this course of action.

"She's a very aggressive girl, Remus."

"I know, I've watched her too remember? Anyway there's no need to worry tonight, Dumbledore is going to be tailing her. He'll be able to handle any trouble."

Tonks was still sceptical but she decided not to press the matter any further for the time being.

"Ok, well..." she stifled a yawn. "In that case I'm going to have a sleep, I'm absolutely exhausted."

She stumbled out of the room and up the stairs to one of the spare rooms. Not even bothering to get changed, she fell onto the bed and within seconds she was snoring loudly.

* * *

**Well, there it is, hope it isn't too crap. I have another three chapters already written, but I'm not even sure it's worth continuing. We'll see...**


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter 4.

Making her way around the East London docks that night, Faith realised that the lack of sleep was definitely starting to catch up with her. Despite her threat to that Tonks woman, she'd still been followed round the galleries and parks all day, and she hadn't managed to get a moment's rest. Her senses were off, her reactions were slow and she was starting to feel majorly pissed off. Two out of the five vampires she'd fought so far had almost got away and she had a deep cut on her arm where one of them had caught her with it's claws. To top it all off, she realised that there was yet another one of Tonks' cronies watching her tonight. She tried in vain to see him, but he seemed to be more skilled or maybe just less clumsy than Tonks had been.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a strange sensation. The hairs on the back of her neck were tingling, but she knew there were no vampires nearby. For the first time in ages, Faith suddenly felt scared. She was surrounded by an evil presence. Without warning, two tall men appeared in front of her. They were dressed from head to toe in robes of black and hooded so that she couldn't see their faces. She felt inexplicably terrified by them and she wanted to run but she found herself rooted to the spot. They walked towards her and one of them began to speak in a voice that made her blood run cold.

"Slayer." he almost hissed. "We are emissaries from the Dark Lord. He has an offer that you _cannot_ refuse."

"Dark Lord?" Faith tried to regain her composure and stop her voice from shaking. "You work for Voldemort?"

"Do not utter the Dark Lord's name, child!" snapped the man. "He has this message for you. If you will join him and cease this mindless slaying of innocent vampires, he will reward you beyond your wildest dreams. You will be a queen among mere mortals. Refuse, however, and you will die a slow, painful death. You will not see another dawn."

Faith couldn't believe her ears. _Innocent _vampires? This was enough to snap her out of her fear and she laughed.

"I'm sorry but, temping as your offer sounds, I've had enough 'Dark Lords' to last me a lifetime." she said boldly. "But if you wanna kill me, you have to catch me first."

Faster than lightening, one of the men drew out what looked like a thin stake and, pointing it at her, shouted,

"_Crucio!_"

A bolt of red light shot out from the end of the stick towards her and hit her in the face. A slight prickling sensation ran through her body and then faded away. She looked up at the man grinning.

"What was that supposed to be?" She asked, mockingly. "You gonna tickle me to death?"

The man tried again.

"_Crucio!_"

And the same thing happened. The other hooded figure joined in but to no avail.

"Much as I'd love to stand here and let you guys throw your crucios at me all night, I'm a busy girl. Those innocent vampires you mentioned? I gotta go mindlessly slay them." She turned to walk away from them.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" she heard and this time she felt as though she'd received a mild electric shock.

"Ok, now that could get annoying!" she said angrily, turning back to face the men, her eyes blazing.

They took a few steps backwards as she advanced towards them. They seemed unsure of what to do now that they'd realised their spells didn't work against her. She had no idea why they hadn't affected her but she didn't want to hang around to find out. But now it seemed the two men had changed tactics. Instead of directing their spells at her they were bewitching immobile objects around them and sending them hurtling in her direction. Ducking and dodging, she managed to avoid a stream of wooden crates and three empty oil drums that went sailing over her head. Desperately trying to reach the two men and break their wands in half, she lost concentration for a second which was all they needed. Working together they bewitched an enormous iron chain that came flying towards her and hit her squarely in the chest, knocking her onto her back as she felt three or four of her ribs crack. As she landed her head connected with one of the concrete breezeblocks that littered the docks. Her teeth clicked together over her tongue filling her mouth with blood She tried in vain to get up but her vision was blurred and she was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. Slowly slipping into unconsciousness she heard the sound of cold cruel laughter and saw the two figures standing over her triumphantly. Dimly aware that it was probably the last thing she would ever do, she managed to give them the finger before accepting defeat and allowing the darkness to wash over her in a wave of pain.

------------------------------------------

Albus Dumbledore knelt over the broken and bleeding Slayer with tears in his eyes. It had all happened so quickly. One moment he'd been watching her in amazement, the unforgivable curses hurled at her by the pair of Death Eaters simply bouncing off her, the next he was running towards them as the Death Eaters decided to throw half of the docks at her. He had been too late to stop her getting injured, but as soon as the Death Eaters had seen him they had disapparated, he only hoped he wasn't too late to save her life. She was still breathing as her picked her up gently in his arms. he was amazed at how light and small she was for such a skilled warrior. He couldn't take her to St Mungo's Hospital because she was essentially a muggle, but neither could he take her to a muggle hospital, for how could he explain what had happened to her? Cradling her gently so as not to worsen her injuries, he closed his eyes and disapparated to Grimmauld Place. He whispered the address into her ear, and the headquarters of the Order, the Black family household, appeared in view. Pushing the door open he stepped inside and closed it behind him. As he did so, the house disappeared from the view of the outside world, as though it had never been there in the first place. It was around 2am and the house was still. Assuming everyone was in bed, Dumbledore walked straight past the stairs that led down to the kitchen and tried to find a spare room for the Slayer. He tried a door at the end of the hall and found the room that everyone had been cleaning the previous day. A four-post bed was situated against the back wall and the fireplace had recently been cleaned. Dumbledore laid Faith gently on the bed and with a flick of his wand, lit a fire in the grate. He went back down the hall and into the kitchen to find hot water and dressings for her wounds. He was surprised to find Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and, of all people, Severus Snape sitting around the table in silence, sharing a bottle of Firewhisky. At the sight of Dumbledore, Sirius jumped up, swaying slightly and began to shout.

"Dumbledore! You're s'posed to be watching her! Where is she? What's happened?"

"Sirius, please lower your voice." said Dumbledore calmly. "She is here. She was attacked by two Death Eaters by the docks."

"ATTACKED!" cried Sirius. "Those bastards attacked my little girl? I'll kill 'em! I'll kill 'em myself!"

He started towards the door but stopped sharply upon looking at Dumbledore, whose eyes were now blazing.

"You will stay here Sirius Black!" he said commandingly. "You are drunk, please get a hold of yourself. Severus, how much have you had to drink?"

"Just one shot of firewhiskey." replied Snape. "I only arrived a short while ago."

"Good." said Dumbledore. "I need you to make a soothing potion for me. The girl is quite badly injured. She has deep cuts and broken bones. I will do what I can now, but as quick as you can be with that potion."

"Yes, professor, at once." and with that Snape swept out of the room.

Dumbledore found the things he needed and was about to leave the kitchen when he was confronted by Sirius whose eyes were shining with tears.

"Albus, please, can I see her?" he pleaded. "She's my baby girl, I haven't seen her for seventeen years."

Dumbledore's face softened and he beckoned for Sirius to follow him to the spare room. In the hallway they met Harry, Ron and Hermione who had been woken by Sirius' shouting.

"What's going on, Professor Dumbledore? Sirius?" asked Harry, rubbing his eyes.

"You kids, hic, should go back to bed." said Sirius. "They brought my little girl in. She's, hic, hurt. So I have to go and look after her now. That's my job."

Hermione regarded Sirius with a slightly concerned expression, then she looked up at Dumbledore.

"Is she going to be ok, Professor? I read that the Slayer is supposed to have self-healing powers, but maybe that's just part of the myth."

Dumbledore smiled at the young girl. "I think I got to her just in time, and if what you've read is true, then she'll be just fine. But I must go and tend to her injuries."

He set off down the hall to the spare room and opened the door. Faith was still lying on the bed where he had left her. He went in and beckoned Sirius to follow him. He was accompanied by Harry, Ron and Hermione. Dumbledore sighed and admitted defeat, there was no way these children were going to go back to bed. He watched as Sirius cautiously approached the bed. The sight of his daughter seemed to have sobered him up completely. He knelt down beside her and took her hand in his, gently brushing the hair out of her face with the other. Dumbledore noticed with amazement that her breathing was more even now and that the cut on her arm had almost healed. He glanced at Hermione who smiled back knowingly.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Looking at Faith's pale face as she lay so still on the bed, Sirius found his head was finally clearing. He'd been drinking Firewhisky all evening, after finally being convinced by Lupin to come downstairs and talk. He'd been so drunk he'd even confided in Snape, something he'd never thought he'd do. But then he'd never thought he'd ever see his daughter again, let alone that she would be the Slayer. He watched her breathing deeply and as he held her hand he could feel the power running through her veins, an ancient power, from the very earth. He was suddenly struck by her beauty and her presence and he put his arms gently around her and began to cry softly into her hair.

"I'm so sorry I left you, my little girl." he whispered in her ear. "Please forgive me."

He felt her stir slightly and she mumbled something unintelligible in her sleep. He held her closer, not wanting to ever let her go. He felt Dumbledore's hand on his shoulder.

"Sirius, Severus has brought a soothing potion for her broken ribs." said the old professor. "It should help her heal faster."

Sirius looked up to find Snape standing beside Dumbledore with a flask in his hand.

"Bathe them in this" he said, awkwardly, handing the flask to Sirius. "I hope it helps"

Snape looked at the sleeping Faith with an almost tender expression on his face. He reached down and gently brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. Sirius was astonished. He stared at Snape, who began to go red with embarrassment before sweeping out of the room.

Sirius stood up as he let Dumbledore wash and dress Faith's injuries. He wanted to do it himself but he felt completely helpless. He looked over at the three teenagers standing by the bed. He gave them a weak smile to which all three responded by coming over and putting their arms around him. He felt fresh tears well up in his eyes. Harry looked at him.

"It'll be ok, Sirius" he said. "She's here now, you've got a chance to make it all up to her."

"I'm scared, Harry" admitted Sirius for the first time. "I'm scared she's going to hate me, that she won't understand. Everyone who's been watching her says she's aggressive and wild. What if she won't even listen to me?"

"Don't worry about that." said Hermione, comfortingly. "One step at a time. She's here and she's safe, that's the main thing. I'm sure she'll hear you out. It won't be easy but you'll both get through it eventually."

"Sirius," came Dumbledore's voice. "I have dressed the wounds, which are healing faster than I would have ever believed. And I think she might be waking up."

Sirius rushed over and knelt beside the bed.

"Be careful Sirius." said Dumbledore. "Don't say too much. She is likely to be disorientated and confused. She might feel threatened, be gentle and make her feel at ease."

Sirius nodded as Faith moved a little and mumbled something else.

"Faith?" he ventured. "Faith, can you hear me?

The Slayer slowly opened her eyes and looked around.

"W.. where am I?" she said quietly, looking at everyone, her eyes finally resting on Dumbledore. "Who the hell are you?"

Dumbledore stepped forward. "My name is Albus Dumbledore my dear Faith. You are at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. We are here to help you. You have been badly injured by some wizards working for Lord Voldemort. I found you and brought you here. You should get some sleep and everything will be explained to you in the morning."

Faith smiled weakly at the old wizard.

"Jeez, D, that's a lot to take in for a girl who feels like she's just been hit by a truck" she coughed and winced a little as she did so. "Wizards huh? That what you guys are? Are you the ones who've been following me?"

Dumbledore nodded apologetically. She looked at Sirius for the first time and a confused expression passed over her face. She wrinkled her brow as if trying to remember something.

"Musta hit my head harder than I thought." she said as she lay back on the bed. "For some reason I completely trust you guys, I'm going soft."

She pulled the covers tightly over her and as she did so, Sirius reached across and tucked her in. He held her gaze for a few moments and in her eyes he could see a wisdom beyond her years marked with pain that ran deeper than he could see or even imagine. Even as he did so, his heart leapt as he saw sparks of recognition flash beneath her dark pupils. She turned away, clearly uncomfortable under his watchful eyes.

"My head hurts and I haven't slept properly in three days thanks to your stalking efforts." she said half-jokingly. "So I'm gonna take your advice big D. I'll kick your asses in the morning when I'm feeling better. Goodnight."

With that her head sank back onto the pillow and within seconds Sirius could tell she was asleep. He leaned across to once again brush one of her dark waves out of her face and kissed her softly on the forehead.

"Sleep well my little Faith" he whispered softly. "I'll be watching over you."

Dumbledore and the others left the room and Sirius sat back in an old armchair by the fire while his daughter slept peacefully at his side. Marveling at her beauty and her strength, he felt his heart swell with pride. Apprehensive as he was about the coming day, when she would realise who he was and maybe walk out of his life for good, he still couldn't help but feel like the luckiest man alive to have been given a second chance with his daughter. Smiling to himself contentedly, he watched her until the break of day, when he finally drifted off into what would turn out to be the best sleep he'd had in years.


	5. Chapter five

**A/N. Here's a short interlude, didn't want to leave you in too much suspense over Snape's actions. I've had many theories as to why Snape decided to stop being a death eater and work for Dumbledore. This is one of them so I thought I'd include it. Enjoy.**

**And also, thankyou to everyone for the lovely reviews. **

Chapter 5

Severus Snape left the house at Grimmauld place in the early hours of the morning and walked through the streets of London in a daze. Unsure where he was going or what he was supposed to be doing, he found himself eventually at the Leaky Cauldron. Shrugging his shoulders he went inside and ordered a bottle of Firewhiskey and a glass. He settled himself in a corner, wanting to hide from the world for a while. Looking around him, he saw that the only other customers were an old wizard who seemed to have fallen asleep at the bar and a dazed-looking banshee drowning her sorrows by the fire. It was understandable, given the time, Snape guessed that it must be three or four in the morning. He grimaced as he downed his first shot. He wasn't normally much of a drinker but the arrival of Black's daughter had put him in a very strange mood and he suddenly felt the urge to get more drunk than he had ever been in his entire miserable life.

He'd arrived at Grimmauld Place earlier that evening to find Black and Lupin in the kitchen completely inebriated and acting in a manner to which he was completely unaccustomed. They had invited him to sit and drink with them. Warily at first, Snape had sat down, having never trusted either one of them in his life. The next thing he knew, Sirius had handed him a photograph of an angry but stunning girl who was unmistakably a member of the Black family. Snape realised at once that this was the girl, the Slayer they had been following.

"That..." Black slurred at him, "That is a picture. A picture of my daughter. My, hic, little girl."

Snape had looked at the picture in amazement, unaware that Black had any family left besides dark wizards.

"She's the Slayer." He continued, tears pouring down his cheeks, bewildering Snape even further. "I had to leave her, hic, cos of Voldemort, that bastard. But Dumble.. hic.. Dumble.. hic.. Dumbledore's bringing her back to me tonight. So you'll get to meet her Severus."

Unsure what to say, Snape handed the photo back.

"She's, she's beautiful Sirius." He said, genuinely. "I had no idea you had any children."

"Her name's Faith" said Black, proudly. "She's my Faith."

A not quite uncomfortable silence had then fallen on the three men, which was broken moments later by the arrival of Dumbledore. Snape had felt anger rising in his throat at the news that death eaters had attacked Black's daughter. When he brought the potion into the spare room, he froze at the sight he'd been confronted with; Black with his arms around his sleeping daughter. So many unspoken and buried memories came back to him, he felt an incredible desire to be anywhere but in this room, and he never hated Black so much as at that particular moment. Yet at the same time, a part of him was happy for Black, that Black had been given another chance to have family. Snape gave him the potion awkwardly, and, before he even realised what he was doing, he'd reached down and brushed a lock of hair out of the girl's face. He'd made a hasty exit after that, and now here he was, drowning his sorrows in the small hours of the morning.

He sighed heavily, downing yet another firewhiskey. He stared at the bottle of amber liquid, which was now half-empty.

"Are you going to drink yourself into oblivion, Severus?" came a soft voice.

Snape looked up to see Minerva McGonagall standing by his table, a concerned look on her face. Unsure of what to say, he simply grunted and looked back at his alcohol.

"Do you mind if I join you?" she persisted. "I could use a nightcap myself. Black's girl gave me the run around today, marched me through every gallery in London and then tried to lose me in some questionable shops in Soho."

Snape pushed the bottle towards her, but still failed to meet her eye.

"Albus sent me to see if you're alright, Severus."

"I'm fine." He snarled, becoming increasingly annoyed at Minerva's presence. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you tell me." She said, simply.

He looked her for the first time and found that he actually did want to tell her. They'd worked together at Hogwarts for years and she knew next to nothing about him. She'd no idea why he, an ex-death eater, was teaching for Dumbledore. He liked it that way of course. But he also appreciated that she trusted Dumbledore's word, that he was actually a decent man, and she'd never pushed it further. Minerva was a good woman, he knew that. A little cold perhaps, but then who was he to judge?

"A lot of things I've tried to bury came back and smacked me in the face tonight, Minerva." He sighed.

She nodded her head a little, waiting for him to continue. He took a deep breath and prepared to take the plunge.

"Seeing Black and his daughter like that. I never even knew he had a child, much less that the Dark L… Vold…" Severus paused and tried again. "_Voldemort_ had forced him away from her. When I think of how many lives he's destroyed, I shudder at the knowledge that I helped him, I was one of them.

"Minerva, when I left Hogwarts I hated the world and everyone in it. I was a stupid little boy, but I wanted revenge on the people who had bullied me, mocked me, ruined me in school. And my parents, well, let's not even go there. I was so easily seduced by the power of Vol… Voldemort.

"I enjoyed it for the first year, I loved the power that came with entrenching fear in people's hearts. But then one night, I was in this very pub, and someone walked in and changed my life forever."

He stopped and reached into his robes, pulling out an old worn photograph. He handed it Minerva. A plain but cheerful girl of around nineteen was giggling with her arms thrown around Severus' neck. He himself was not particularly attractive, but he seemed to be finding it extremely difficult not to smile radiantly. Every now and then he'd lose the battle, his grin making his face almost handsome.

"Her name was Apollina. She was Italian. I've no idea what she ever saw in me, but I loved her the minute I set eyes on her. She noticed I was there, I think that's what made the difference. She saw who I was underneath my greasy hair, my hooknose, and my sour expressions. She made me laugh."

A tear began to form in his eye and he downed another whiskey to stifle it.

"We got married quite soon after we met, I'd never felt that way about anyone in my life. She had no idea I was a death eater, but things were quiet and I stayed out of _his_ way. We had a baby girl; we called her Cecilia, after my mother. She would have been about the same age as Black's girl now. She was amazing, and I felt like my life was finally worth something.

"Voldemort soon found out about my newly found happiness and he was less than pleased. Apollina was a witch but her parents were muggles, a lot like young Granger there. He didn't approve of my liaisons with 'mudbloods' as he put it. I didn't know that he'd discovered us until it was too late. He put me under the Imperius curse and…"

Snape stopped as the memories became too much for him. He put his head in his hands, too ashamed to looked at Minerva. She leant across and placed a hand comfortingly on his arm.

"Come now Severus, let it out. I'm not going to judge you. You know I never have."

He looked up and smiled weakly at her, seeing genuine concern in her eyes. Then he continued shakily.

"He.. he put me under the Imperius curse and made me kill them. My child and my wife. The look that Apollina gave me when she found out what I really was, a death-eater, is indescribable. Cecilia was four, she didn't understand what was going on. I used an Unforgivable curse on them. I remember it as if it were yesterday."

Severus was crying freely now, revealing a side of himself to Minerva that he ordinarily kept deep within his soul. He forced himself to carry on.

"I don't know how Dumbledore found out about it, or why he saw something in me that was worth saving, but he did. When I got back Voldemort modified my memory, so that I would remain faithful to the death-eaters once the Imperius curse wore off. Dumbledore and some aurors caught me a few weeks later and the memory charm was reversed. When I remembered everything I broke down. Dumbledore kept me on my feet, told me that he would help me through it. But I knew that if I left the death-eaters, Voldemort would have me killed. So I agreed to become a spy for Dumbledore, and managed to convince Voldemort that I was spying for the dark mark. To this day, Voldemort believes me. I don't know how long it can last, but the only thing I live for is the hope that one day he will be vanquished forever, for what he did to me and my family.

"I've always hated Black, but I hate him even more now. He's got another chance with his little girl. Something I'll never have. If he blows it I will personally kill him."

Snape fell silent now. He couldn't bring himself to look at Minerva just yet, he wanted to get away from her. He finished off his bottle of whiskey in one gulp and stood up. The alcohol hit him in a rush, he stumbled a few paces and then fell to the floor. He looked up and saw three Minervas swaying over him, looking concerned.

"I'm fine." He murmured.

Minerva pulled out her wand.

"Ok, Severus, you're fine, but you're in no fit state for apparation. I think it's best if you stay here at the pub tonight. Tom?"

The innkeeper hobbled over to where Severus was lying.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall?"

"Could you prepare two rooms? One for Professor Snape, and one for myself. And make sure Professor Snape's has plenty of water for him to drink. I think he'll be feeling a little worse for wear in the morning."

Severus groaned as Minerva lifted him off the ground with a charm. The room was spinning wildly and he felt distinctly nauseous. She floated him up the stairs as gently as possible and he eventually found himself tucked into bed. He shut his eyes but the room carried on spinning. Too exhausted to care he fell into an intoxicated and dreamless sleep.

**That's it folks. Next chapter, Faith wakes up and confronts Sirius. Tense stuff…!**


End file.
